Apparatus for making footwear



April 20, 1937. J. M. MILLER ET AL 2,078,093

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FOOTWEAR Original Filed Dec. 10, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet l inventors 30hr: ML Mflle & firnold RDams (It torneg April20, 1937-. J. M. MILLER ET AL APPARATUS FOR MAKING FOOTWEAR OrigiflalFiled Dec.

10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3maentors er 6r John M. 1"

Arnold R. Davis l atented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEAPPARATUS FOR MAKING FOOTWEAR John M. Miller and Arnold It.

Davis, Hudson,

Original application December 10, 1932, Serial No. 646,636. Divided andthis application February 21, 1935, Serial No. 7,548

1 Claim.

This invention relates to apparatus for making footwear, and moreespecially it relates to apparatus for making rubber footwear such aslightweight gaiters and galoshes.

The invention is of primary utility in the manufacture of footwearhaving an exposed surface of rubber wherein said surface is formed witha design, in relief, in simulation of natural leathers such as alligatorskin, pin seal, lizard, or snake in) skin.

The chief objects of the invention are to provide an improved apparatusfor manufacturing footwear of the character mentioned. Further objectsinclude the obtaining of fidelity of design 1.3 in the imitation ofnatural leathers; to provide a one-piece rubber shoe-upper without aback seam; and to effect economies whereby the cost of production offootwear is reduced.

This application is a division of our co-pending 20 application, SerialNo. 646,636, filed December 10, 1932, now Patent No. 1,992,386, issuedFebruary 26, 1935.

f the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a developed plan view of a building 25 form for a shoe orgaiter upper;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same in its normal, conoidal form;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

30 Figure 4 is a front elevation of the building form shown in Figure 2with a coating of unvulcanized rubber composition thereon;

Figure 5 is a plan view of one side of a lining for a shoe or gaiterupper;

5 Figure 6 is a plan view of the opposite side thereof;

Figure '7 shows the shoe lining of Figures 5 and 6 being applied to therubber-coated form shown in Figure 4;

40 Figure 8 shows the shoe-upper and lining being stripped, as a unit,from the building form;

: Figure 9 is a side elevation of a completed shoeupper; and

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a lasted over- 45 shoe comprising anupper made according to the improved method.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, II] is a conoidal metalform, and I I is a design etched thereon by the photo-engraving method.

50 The design is shown herein as a simulation of two different kinds ofnatural leathers, and in outline defines a shoe-upper including the shoeheel. Preferably the design H is obtained from a shoe-upper made up inthe natural leathers,

55 and the photograph thereof etched onto form I0,

which preferably is of zinc, while said form is in the flat shape shownin Figure 1. The flat form subsequently is bent to conoidal form and itslateral margins joined to each other as by welding. The small end of theform has an end closure l2, 5 and secured thereto is a hook or clip l3by which the form may be suspended. The large end of the form is closedby a plate Illa.

It will be seen from Figs. 3 and 9 that the inclination of the bottomclosing plate Ilia to the 10 axis of the form is such that the form as awhole will roughly approximate the shape of a high gaiter or galosh, andit will be seen from the developed plan View of Fig. 1 that the area ofthe side surface of the conoidal form is approximate- 1y that of thedesired footwear upper as well as approximately of the shape of thefootwear upper.

In the practice of the invention, the form It) is dipped into a naturalor artificial aqueous dispersion of rubber, preferably natural latex,that 20 includes suitable pigment, and sulphur and accelerator forsubsequently effecting vulcanization. The dipping of the form in thedispersed rubber causes. a film of the solution to adhere to the form.After dipping, the form is suspend- 5 ed by the clip I3, preferably in awarm atmosphere, to dry the deposit on the form. The dipping and dryingof the form is repeated until the desired thickness of coating isobtained, at which time the surface of the deposit will be substantiallysmooth, and the design II of the form completely obscured. When the wetform is suspended after clipping, some of the rubber solution drainstoward the lower end of the form, with the result that the coating atthis end of the form is thicker than at the upper end thereof. This isan advantageous feature of the invention since it produces a shoe-upperthat is thicker at its lower part, which part is nearest. the shoe soleand subject to greatest wear. The coating on the form I 0 is designatedI4.

The next step is the mounting of a shoe lining on the rubber deposit [4while the latter is on the form 56. The lining, shown best in Figures 5and 6 and generally designated I5, is a composite structure composedprincipally of stockinet or similar material having suitable reinforcingpieces 16, ll adhered thereto, a slide fastener l3 mounted thereon ifdesired, and a fiap or tongue l9 covering said slide fastener. One sur-5O face of the lining I5, that shown in Figure 5, has a skim coating ofunvulcanized rubber composition thereon, and the reinforcing pieces I6,I! are coated on both sides with unvulcanized rubber. The opposite sideof the lining, shown in Figure 6, has its bottom marginal portion andone lateral marginal portion coated with unvuloanized rubber cement asshown at 20, 20.

The lining I5 is mounted upon the coated form In in the manner shown inFigure 7, the rubber-coated face of the lining being placed against thecoating [4 on said form, and pressed into adhesive engagement therewith.The lateral marginal portions of the lining are joined in a lapped seamat the rear side of the form. When thus assembled, the coating l4 andlining l5 may be stripped, as a unit, from the form l0, being turnedinside out or reversed by the operation, as shown'in Figure 8, so'thatthe lining I5 is innermost and the coating [4 is outermost, as shown inFigure 9, the surface of the latter being embossed with the design llthat is etched on the surface of the form Ill. The assembled lining l5and coating l4 constitute a shoe-upper that is designated 22. Thesurplus coating material shown in broken lines at 23 is then trimmedfrom the top and bottom margins of the upper 22, after which the uppermay be mounted upon a last 24 and built into an overshoe 25 in the usualmanner, as is shown in Figure 10.

The overshoe subsequently is vulcanized in dry heat, as will be wellunderstood by those skilled in the art.

The invention provides an economical means for producing attractiverubber footwear in faithful simulation of natural leathers, and achievesthe other objects set out in the foregoing statement of objects.

Modification may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the appended claim, which is not limitedwholly tothe specific construction shown and described.

What is claimed is:

A dipping form for light weight rubber gaiter and galosh upperscomprising an elongated conoidal form provided on its side wall surfacewith a negative of a desired footwear upper design, and having its basesurface inclined to the axis of the form at an angle such that its sidewall surface has in plan substantially the area and shape of the desiredfootwear upper.

JOHN M. MILLER. ARNOLD R. DAVIS.

